The Journey of the Demon Hunter

The monsters in the forest disappeared, and the sharp neighing was only left with the whisper of the breeze. The shadow still stayed quietly away from the campfire, and the packhorse stood in place, lowering its head to eat the weeds on the side of the road. The wind blew across the treetops, and there was a sparse rustling sound.

A man in a cloak squatted in front of him, leaning over to him vigilantly, and his two eyebrows squeezed together because of worry: "You can be heard screaming in the entire forest just now. Are you uncomfortable? "

"Oh, I, I'm okay." The traveler wiped off the cold sweat from his forehead, took off his felt hat as a shaking fan, and panted as if he had just gone through a long run: "Hello, traveler. I'm sorry, but I just felt a little...not so good. There have been too many bad rumors recently, I almost thought that a demon was following me. It’s great to see a friendly human face, why did you come to this wasteland at night ?"

"You must be Varif, right?"

The man in the hood did not answer the traveling merchant’s question. He took off his hood, revealing his brown-gray hair: "Blue and white coat, black curly hair, in his forties. I guess it's you."

"Do you know me?" The traveling merchant exhaled softly. He slowly stood up and patted the dust on his trousers: "Yes, I am Varif of Lugoin, but I don't know you, sir, How did you know me? Listen to your tone, someone sent you to find me?"

"Yes, an alchemist named Karina told me that you have made an appointment to meet her here." Zelin's gaze calmly stared at the nearby forest: "She had some trouble before, now Rest in a nearby lumberjack settlement, she hopes I can come to you."

"Oh, Karina, that's right, it stands to reason that she should have been here yesterday. It seems that she is indeed in trouble, but I never knew that the Vesing would hire other people." Varif said heavily. Coughed twice and cleared his throat. He noticed a trace of doubt flashing in Zelin’s eyes, and he smiled kindly: "You don’t know your employer? This is normal. Most people don’t know much about the Wishin people, and even put them in the Kagestan. You said there is a loggers settlement nearby? That’s great. I can’t wait to find a safe place where there is fire and other people live. The cold wind here makes my shoulder blades hurt. ."

"Come with me, that lumberjack settlement is not far from here." Zelin cast his head aside: "As a traveling businessman, traveling alone without any guards around him, don't you think this is dangerous? Especially recently, there is A Kazra tribe migrated to this land."

"I'm going to visit an old friend in New Tristram." Varif said. He picked up the parcels on the ground, tied the mouths of the two parcels together, and then put them on the back of the packhorse: "But if you can Buy some goods on the road and sell them to the locals by the way. Why give up this good opportunity to make money?"

The lumberjack settlement is not far from the meeting place agreed upon by Karina and Varif. Karina didn't know anything about this place before. She told Zelin that this settlement must have only been established in recent years, and it may not take more than a year. It is not large in scale and will not be marked on the map. But any village started with a few small houses, perhaps to prevent Kazra’s attack. The settlement was built on a high **** with a wooden fence around it.

There are only four buildings within the enclosure, two thatched huts, a tavern, and a storage room for firewood. The light yellow oil lamp shines through the window, and spills the lines of the window rails into the muddy clearing. An old, thin horse stood in the stable, and a two-wheeled truck was parked at the door. The chopped wood was stacked next to the truck, and the sign hanging on the door of the tavern swayed slightly in the cold wind. This hotel is also a residence. The owner of the hotel expanded his house and turned it into a hotel to entertain passing travelers.

There were few customers in the tavern, and Zelin only saw two people sitting here. One is Karina, and the other is a man with short hair and a black leather jacket.

There are several round wooden tables in the hall, and behind the counter stands a man with a mustache and brown hair mixed with gray silk. He wiped the cup in his hand and looked at the man in the black jacket with unpleasant eyes from time to time, beside him was a beautiful girl with the same hair color as the innkeeper.

"Whenever I see you, I don't go to the night, because it is too dark for me." The man in the black jacket took a sip of beer and said to the girl beside him

His jacket is exquisite in workmanship, like some kind of expensive goods, but there are many folds on it, and some unwashed dust remains between the folds. The boots are temporarily full of dirt, which is a sign of those who travel for a long time. Carrying a two-handed crossbow behind the man's back

The girl next to him was wearing a blue dress with a white apron around the skirt, her thick brown hair wagging lightly behind her head, her eyes seemed to be bright

"It's very dangerous at night these days." The young girl held a plate in both hands and blinked her beautiful eyes: "You'd better not stay outside after dark. Linden, everyone said recently that you will come back very late. ."

"No, dear Sasha. The night is not dangerous to me." Linden put down his wine glass and covered his chest with one hand, his voice intoxicated: "But as long as I have seen your eyes, even the moon is so in my eyes. Dim."

This drew a low, cheerful smile from Sasha.

"Ahem!"

The hotel owner behind the counter coughed heavily: "Sasha, a new guest is here."

Zelin opened the door of the hotel, and the flames in the fireplace temporarily dispelled the coldness of the night. Varif handed the reins of the packhorse to the horse boy outside, who was a young child who looked just ten years old.

"Oh, welcome!"

Sasha hurriedly greeted Zelin. The innkeeper took the opportunity to stare at Linden ferociously.

"I'm with her." Zelin pointed to Karina, who was fighting with a piece of brown bread: "Just have a beer."

Watching the maid trot to the kitchen, Zelin sat opposite Karina: "I've found someone for you."

"Oh, Varif." Karina put down the brown bread, turned around and stood up to look at the traveling merchant who walked in, and patted the crumbs from her fingers: "Long time no see, where was the last time we met The Alanok Desert a year ago. Is your illness better? Your look is not so good, remember what I told you? I saw a disaster in you, you should hide instead Continue to walk around like headless flies. Even without you, the Gemini Sea trade will not stop because of this."

"I know, Karina, I know." Varif sat next to Karina with some pain, folded his hands on the table, and lowered his eyes: "But...but I have to face it. The trouble may not be solved by hiding in the monastery and the manor surrounded by guards. For the past two decades, I have been experiencing torture, and it is getting stronger and stronger. I think maybe only my old friend Kane can help me solve this. Something. I am increasingly suspicious. This may be because of the curse I incurred when I helped some people fight against the dark wanderers..."

"Curse?" Zelin raised his eyebrows: "What curse?"

Chapter 2632: The Curse of the Past

"That was twenty years ago, adventurer."

Varif exhaled for a long time, took off his hat, and held the soft cap tightly with his fingers: "At that time, the civil strife in Kanduras had just ended, and Prince Aidan was crowned king. Everyone believed that the Western Kingdom would be stable. Coming down, there will be new business opportunities in Kanduras. As a result, when I came to Kanduras, there was a chaos here. Prince Aidan was possessed by a demon and turned into a dark wanderer, Drizzt Reem was burned to ruins, and there were demons everywhere. When I was about to leave, the road to the east was also occupied by demons. As a result, I could only stay in the Rogge camp. Later, several heroes rescued Dika. Kane, he is a legendary Horadim. After they dealt with the enemies in Rogge Abbey, they asked me if I could take them to Lu Goin and pursue the Dark Wanderers. I agreed."

"Since then, Varif's bad luck has continued." Karina continued: "Ten years ago, Kartim, he had found me. We Vesing people usually have the ability to foresee the future, relying on cards and Crystal ball. My strength is not strong, but as long as a Vysing person who is not blind, he can see obvious bad luck in him. Luck does not favor anyone. There is only one explanation for such bad luck-he is Cursed."

"But it's impossible...The Dark Wanderer is dead." Varif rubbed the corners of his eyes, and didn't want to mention the name again. The name alone would remind him of many tragic past events: "Lu Gaoin The boatman Mahif told me that the heroes did a shocking thing in the Kurast Rainforest. They killed everyone in the Zakarum Council and killed the demons who controlled them. The Dark Wanderer was also dead. , Everything is over, but..."

"Don't think about the rumors of dark wanderers. There are enough dangerous and worrying rumors in this world." Karina rubbed her hands and put her eyes on another piece of venison on the table.

This piece of roast venison is small and pitiful, with a pinch of salt sprinkled on it, but the price—at least from the eyes of a demon hunter—is outrageously expensive. This requires twenty gold coins, and a glass of beer also requires one gold coin.

"My carriage was robbed by Kazra, and the goods in it were looted." Karina's voice did not contain the despair after being robbed, as if she was just talking about something that had nothing to do with her: "Potions and herbs They are all in the carriage. I guess they may be all lying in Kazra’s cauldron now. I’m afraid I can’t help you anymore, Varif. But one of my family members, Miriam, is in New Tristram.”

During the day, Zelin and Karina went to the location where she was attacked. But it is a pity that there are too many Khazillas there, and these sheep-head monsters roam the plains, setting up the totems they worship everywhere. Zelin had no usable weapons in his hand, and on a plain, he could not sneak into the foot of the mountain without disturbing any Kazra to check whether the carriage was still in place.

The maid Sasha brought a glass of beer. In the tavern, Zelin was happy to find that the coins he found in the spider cave were still circulating outside.

"For so many years, I thought I would never return to this land again." Varif whispered, his eyes fixed on the beer in the glass in front of him, his reflection reflected in the beer: "Countless failures and Tragedy is pressing on my shoulders. I have been thinking, is this the punishment for helping the stranger hunt down the dark rogue? I always think that Deca Kane is a half-crazy old guy, but maybe... .Maybe he is right after all, maybe he can find a way to dispel the shadows that entangle me."

"I've been listening to you talking about this name called Deca Kane." Zelin asked suddenly: "He is good at dispelling curses?"

"Kane seems to have a wealth of knowledge about the supernatural. I hope I've never been so smart..." Varif shrugged: "In the past, I always thought he was just a somewhat crazy old man, talking about him every day. The prophecy of the end of the world, but twenty years have passed...So many things have proved that he was right."

In the past, there was no ruler on this land called Canduras. The local residents were distributed in the form of settlements on the plain between the eastern mountains and the western Westma bay. Its north is Enstinger, and its south is Westermar. Twenty years ago, the church in Curast sent one of the most pious warriors, Leoric, to expedition to Kanduras and established a new kingdom, the capital of which was named Tristram.

As a result, this expedition released the demons sealed in the ancient monastery, and the kingdom of Kanduras was destroyed. Later, the king's eldest son Aidan defeated the demon. But he did not destroy the demon. The powerful demon possessed Aidan, completely destroyed Tristram, and controlled him all the way east to Kurast, the location of the church of Zakarum. .

At that time, Varif helped a group of heroes who came to Kanduras to pursue the eastward prince Aidan who was possessed by the devil.

"As a result, I have had bad luck ever since." Varif sighed wearily. "In Tristram at the time, only a few people survived. Deca Kane was one of them. He knew it well. Devil, it is said that Prince Aidan defeated the monster with his advice and help. Recently, I have been feeling like some monster is chasing me, which makes me very uneasy........ "

"It's only a day away from New Tristram." Karina patted Varif's arm, and after swallowing the barbecue cubes in her mouth, she smiled comfortably: "Relax, my friend. As far as I know. , The road from here to New Tristram is safe. The town is still under the control of local officials. Although they don’t have a king, there is still a mayor. You see, I was on the road the day before yesterday. Saw the notice they posted."

With that said, Karina took out a notice from her small package.

"Hunt Kazra, a Kazra head can get a bounty of twenty-five gold coins at New Tristram City Hall. The people here still have some savings. If you have enough goods in your carriage, Even if you can't find your friends, you will make a fortune in New Tristram."

Varif lowered his shoulders sadly: "But making money will not make me happy, Karina. The last time I heard news from Kane in Gikul, they said Kane decided to return to New Tristram and wanted to find Clues in ancient books. Bless Akarat, I am worried whether I can get out of this land again alive."

Chapter 2633 Kane's Puzzle

"Uncle, are we not living in New Tristram tonight?"

Standing in front of the counter at the Cattle Slaughter Inn, Liya packed the package, putting pieces of beef jerky, pasta and water bags into the package: “Everyone doesn’t like to be near the cathedral. I heard Captain Larton say today. There were more dead bodies buried in the cathedral than there were living outside the city."

"When disasters occur, Leah, when the harbingers of disasters appear, I regard those ancient legends as tales of heaven. As a result, Tristram... No, the whole world is for me. His laziness paid the price." It was an old and steady voice, an old man who appeared to be almost sixty years old with a cane in one hand, and the other hand slowly closed the log in front of him: "Dr. Tristram The church is the place where the Horadim sect sealed the devil for the last time. I believe that the records excavated in the monastery must contain many records of demons and prophecies. There are still very valuable records hidden in the depths of the church, recording ancient wisdom. Scrolls."

"Please, uncle, stop telling stories." Liya rolled her eyes helplessly: "For so many years, you have been telling stories about doomsday prophecies. Everyone doesn't like to hear them. Mayor Holmes is here this afternoon. He came to me. He said he didn't want to hear anything about the doomsday prophecy in his own town. Captain Lalton even asked me if it was related to the Wizarding Society."

"Twenty years ago, Diablo ravaged this land." The gray-haired Kane clenched one hand into a fist, and coughed heavily before his mouth: "I can't pretend that I have insight. In view of the various visions that have recently occurred in New Tristram, I can only say that this is a sign of the revival of the demons, and the mortal world will witness the end of the world. Liya, in order to avoid the tragedy in Kanduras that year. , I must interpret the omen before the end of the day and warn the world...cough cough cough!"

The hair on the top of Kane's head has fallen out, leaving only his bald forehead. The white beard on his cheeks is like a scarf around the collar. The beard in front of him hangs down to his chest. His complexion was dim, like a tree that had gone through countless years, and his deep and wise eyes carried a trace of anxiety that was hard to detect by ordinary people.

"But, uncle, we have only been in New Tristram for a few days." Liya looked at Kane worriedly: "As a result, you have hardly rested since you arrived. You should have a good night's sleep in the hotel. I I still remember our previous adventures in the Keghistan Desert. Those adventures are unforgettable, but there has never been a time like this...you will be exhausted."

"Devils won't wait for mortals to invade before they are ready. On the contrary, they will take advantage of the emptiness when the mortal world is least prepared." Deca Kane muttered in a low voice, slowly closing the book, and holding on. The cane walked slowly to the door: "I hope that the documents in the cathedral have not been destroyed by those treasure hunters. Let's go, Liya."